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The two children are in the care of family services as the agency attempts to locate relatives or family friends where they can safely stay
NEED TO KNOW
- After five adults died in an Ohio river on July 19, a child was seen running along a road in distress
- The bodies have since been recovered from the body of water, and the child and another little one at the scene were visited by therapy dogs
- The two children are now in the care of family services as the agency attempts to locate relatives or family friends
After five adults died in an Ohio river, a “distraught” child was seen running on the side of a roadway looking for help. The little one and another child are now in the care of family services as the agency attempts to locate relatives or family friends.
As of Tuesday, July 21, the two children are in the care of Franklin County Children Services as the agency attempts to locate relatives or family friends in the Columbus area where they can safely stay, Scott Varner, a spokesperson for the agency, confirms to PEOPLE.
“You can [imagine] the trauma these two children are experiencing,” says Varner, referencing the deadly incident that took place on Sunday, July 19, at the Scioto River in Powell.
“We don’t want to add to that more than necessary, which is why we strive to identify someone the children know or have a connection to,” he continues, “someone who is willing to step up and provide a safe place for these children to stay.”
That Sunday night, around 9 p.m. local time, officials were notified that a driver had seen a “clearly distraught” child running along the road seeking assistance in the Columbus area, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said during a press conference. The child told the bystander that his family was “in the river,” according to Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer.
The alarming call resulted in an hours-long search that extended into the following day. During that time, rescue teams recovered the bodies of two women, followed by the bodies of three men in the Scioto River. None of the victims, including the children, have been identified at this time.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, officials are piecing together what happened.
“My understanding is that a group of people came to the river sometime last evening to enjoy themselves on a summer night, including some fishing,” Balzer said at the press conference on Monday, July 20. “We believe one of the folks got in the river to go swimming, and that’s when the tragedy started to occur.”
Others in the group then attempted to help the struggling swimmer, only to become distressed themselves. The sheriff said that investigators believe that two sets of parents, another adult and two children were together at the riverside when the incident occurred.
The children are 6 and 7 years old, The New York Times reported. As the sheriff’s office investigates, Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the agency, told the paper that “we’ve had a few challenges.”
“In addition to the children’s ages, there is the trauma as well as a slight language barrier,” Whited told the Times.
To ease the children’s initial shock, Varner confirms to PEOPLE that Crisis K-9s (or therapy dogs) from the sheriff’s office sat with the little ones.
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He says it’s “another example of how we try to minimize the trauma of coming into the child welfare system.”
Varner is unable to provide further details about the case because of state privacy and confidentiality laws, and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office had no further updates when contacted by PEOPLE. Additionally, Charles Carlson, chief investigator at the Delaware County Coroner’s Office, tells PEOPLE that there were no updates at this time.
As the investigation into the tragedy continues, officials urge people to bring safety gear when visiting bodies of water.
“Wear a life preserver. Wear a life jacket. I get it. People think that somehow those are just for kids,” Balzer said on Monday. “But I tell you, they save everybody’s lives.”
Read the original article on People
